ADDED 12/16/08:
FINAL MESSAGE FOR 2008: As we
get ready to close out another exciting and productive year, I would like to
thank everyone who has been an active part of the ZDK by participating in the
programs we offer. Your support is the glue that holds us together and, as
I have travelled to various clubs this past year, I have been impressed with the
commitment and dedication of all of our members. To those who sponsor
seminars and tournaments for everyone to attend, I offer my special thanks for
what you do on behalf of the ZDK. 2009 will mark fifty years of training
and teaching for me and I feel good about what I have been able to accomplish
and the people I have met along the way. More importantly, I see the rise
of a new generation of senior ranks who demonstrate leadership, creativity, and,
most importantly, a commitment to their students success. Thank you all
for being a part of the ZDK family and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and
New Year. Respectfully, M. Campos

ADDED 12/8/08:
There were almost 30 participants total at pre-testing and the seminars held at
HQ yesterday. We were glad to see that 4 of the 5 people planning to test
in Mar. were able to attend pre-testing. Many thanks to 5th Dan's
Mr. Cox, Mr. & Mrs. Guccione, Mr. Melander, Mr. Pinney, Mr. Streeter, & Mr.
Tomlinson for coming out on such a cold morning to assist with the
pre-test process. Both the Sanchin & Jo seminars were full and Mr.
Streeter and Mr. Campos appreciated the participation of the instructors and
students. We are planning another pre-test event for January 25 and hope
to see everyone there.

We just heard from Mr. Brown in Massena, NY.
He is recovering well from his 2nd knee replacement and we look forward to
seeing him fully recovered in the spring.

ADDED 12/4/08:
We would like to welcome Steve Moliterno as a new ZDK Assn.
member. Sensei Moliterno is affiliated with Mr. Suggs, a
longtime SSS & ZDK supporter. His dojo is Kihen-Ryu Jujitsu and is located
in NYC. We look forward to working with Sensei Moliterno in the years
ahead - WELCOME to the ZDK.

ADDED 11/3/08:
The tournament in Herkimer, NY on Sat. 11/1/08 was well
attended and expertly coordinated by Tom & Dana Arcuri.
As always, Vicki Gillen, and Larry Brooks were
on hand to help the process move along on schedule. It was good to see
everyone, esp. Mr. Cox, Mr. Pinney, Mr. Tomlinson, Mrs. Streeter,
and so many others in attendance. Under the "Guess Who's Coming to
Dinner" category, our good friend, Kevin Suggs really
surprised us by attending his first ZDK tourney with three of his students.
Not only did Mr. Suggs come to dinner but he demonstrated his
strong competitive skills by entering the Senior Black Belt division on the spur
of the moment. Ah, to be so young again!!! It was nice to have the
Westchester contingent there. Mrs. Streeter was awarded
the plaque for Most Supportive School by virtue of having a
huge number of Johnstown ZDK students in attendance. We
congratulate Tom & Dana on another well-run and fun event.

ADDED 10/21/08:

We
just received word from Brian Cox (Cherry Valley, NY ZDK) that
his son, Blaze, is training in Muay Thai in Thailand.
Blaze is a ZDK black belt and is spending a year as a student
there. In addition to his studies, he is training five days a week and is
preparing for his first Muay Thai competition. The picture is of Blaze &
his instructor. We want to wish him the best as he prepares to enter the Muay
Thai arena!!!

ADDED 10/20/08:

This was a very busy and productive weekend. On Sat. 10/18, Sensei
Campos traveled to Larry & Laura Brooks club in W.
Winfield, NY to present a Kata seminar to an enthusiastic group of students.
We also had members from Mr. Pinney's PAK club and Dave
Castaldo from Mr. Guccione's Canton, NY club in
attendance. It was great to visit the Brooks club and meet the students.
Thank you to Larry & Laura for hosting the seminar.On Sun. 10/19, Sensei Campos was off to
Easthampton, MA to present a seminar on Personal Protection at Mr.
Laberge's Kicks & Sticks studio. It was great to see that half
the class was made up of women who were not martial artists. This was the
first time Sensei Campos had the opportunity to visit Kicks &
Sticks. Mr. Laberge has a great group of students, many
of whom have been members for a long time. Thanks also to Mr.
Schuyler from HQ for offering to assist. The invitation &
hospitality of Mr. Laberge and his members was greatly
appreciated.

ADDED 10/15/08:
It has been a busy Fall season. Mr. Campos was in TX visiting
Mr. Gifford and all the TX ZDK clubs in the Houston area from 10/2-10/13.
Mr. Gifford's organization continues to thrive and we had a chance to
attend testing and present seminars at all the TX clubs during this visit.
TESTING: Congratulations to Rosemary Ruths on
achieving Shodan, and to Jory Denny, Melissa Elder, Todd
Kelly, Gayle Lozano, and Zachary Pollock on their Nidan
rank. SEMINARS:Mr. Campos presented seminars
on several topics over the entire week - Fri. at Safety America in Sugar
Land; Sat. & Tues. at the Lexington Blvd. dojo in Sugar Land; Mon.
at Mr. Kelly's dojo in Pecan Grove; and Wed. at the Missouri City
dojo run by Mr. Vicknair. Mr. Campos also worked with Mr.
Gifford on kata and test curriculum.

As always, it was great to see all the
students and instructors during the visit. Congratulations are in order
for Mr. Sean Brauen on his upcoming wedding and to Mr. Shawn Vicknair
and Heidi on their soon to be new arrival. Susan Jackson
flew in from Florida to attend testing and the first seminar and Bob Ryan,
Bill Hickl, Rick Eierdam, and many other black belts were on hand to make
the week a great one.

Many thanks to Bill and Michele Hickl
for the use of their son's truck so Mr. & Mrs. Campos could drive up to
Killeen, TX for his Military Police reunion. This one was
much larger than the Oct. 2007 Atlantic City, NJ gathering. It was great
to see Roger Goehrke (Susan) after 45 years!!! There will be an
addl. KB page up soon telling all the latest news for KB alumni visiting this
site.

ADDED 9/28/08:
Mr. Curbelo, chief instructor at Mountain Martial Arts
in Stamford, NY, hosted a self-defense and defensive tactics seminar on 9/20
instructed by Charlie Moore. Mr. Moore, assisted by
Tom Arcuri, taught a number of training drills and skills to
approximately 20 participants at the all-day event.

On Sat. 9/27
as part of the MountainAcademyís
15 year celebration Mr. Curbelo hosted the 1st
Annual Invitational Tournament. Though a small event some participants
travelled up to 2 hours to attend. It went smoothly with some very spirited
competition, awesome help from visiting instructors, and a great atmosphere.
Mr. Curbelo thanks everyone who supported the event.

Unfortunately Mr. Campos had to miss the
tournament because on 9/27 he was in Massena, NY instructing
seminars for the ZDK clubs in N-NY. This was his
bi-annual trip and it is always great to re-connect with everyone in the north
country. The weekend started out with a golf outing on Fri. afternoon with
Mr. Brown. His constant distractions during the game
resulted in him having a lower score (like that matters) than Mr. Campos
and because of that he claimed to have won!!! Regardless, it was a fun
game. On Sat. Mr. Campos presented a seminar for the kids and one for the
adults. It was great to see course instructors Vince, Dave, Cheri,
Tim (Bass), Andre, etc. along with all the other black belts &
students. Andrea Malik, a ZDK affiliated member from
Potsdam, NY, attended the seminars with several of her students for the first
time. At lunch we were able to have a long discussion about her desire to
become more active in the ZDK. As always, Mr. Campos would like to thank the
N-NY group for their hospitality and support for the ZDK for over three decades.

ADDED 9/18/08:
As always, fall is a very busy season. EDS
CLASS: On Sun. 9/14 Mr. Campos presented
a three hour DT class for 13 members of the Schenectady Civil Defense
Auxiliary Police at the Johnstown studio. The class was a basic
introduction to the skills and drills involved in Defensive Tactics training.
Assisting with the class were Brian Cox, Shawn Irvin, & Richard Schuyler.
Many thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Streeter for the use of the studio
and to Dave Cummings for organizing the group.

On Tues. 9/16 Mr. Campos presented a class on
Personal Safety to a group of 30 students at Colgate
University. This is part of a series of presentations organized
by Mr. Bob Pinney. Mr. Pinney forwarded several of the
comments from the students about the class - here are a couple of excerpts:

"He found ways for us to relate our everyday
movements to self defense making it more like a reflex than something that
you actually have to think about. I especially enjoyed practicing on the
bags, so increased time on that would be useful. All in all, I thought he
was very interesting and creative in his methods." and
"I thought his presentation was great. I loved his
energy and his sense of humor. I liked the way he simplified the movements.
It was a really productive class."

ADDED 8/24/08:
Mr. Campos had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Greg Troup (SSS
Photographer for many years) from 8/20-8/22 in Old Forge, NY. Mr. & Mrs.
Campos were up in the Adirondacks camping, hiking, and biking for a couple of
days and took the opportunity to contact Greg & Robin. It was nice to get
together with Greg & Robin for dinner and a slide presentation on India.
Plus they did a little reminiscing about the old days when Greg was training
with Craig Corato at our first satellite school in Cobleskill, NY in the
mid 1970's. We were hoping to connect up with Mr. Charbonneau while
we were up there but his son just returned from military service in Afghanistan
so he was unable to get to Old Forge. We appreciate his son's service and
are glad he is home safely.

ADDED 7/24/08:
NEW MEMBER We would like to welcome MR. JIM MORRILL as a new
member of the ZDK. Mr. Morrill instructs in the Albany area and has been
training since 1983. He has trained in several arts including, Tang Soo
Do, Shotokan, Kempo, & Kung-Fu. We look forward to working with Jim for
many years to come and would like to thank him for deciding to join the ZDK.

ADDED 7/22/08:
26th Annual Super Summer Seminars was FANTASTIC!!!Tom &
Dana Arcuri have taken the camp to a new level of professionalism.
Congratulations on a job well done. Approximately 270 participants
& staff were on hand to train and party and they were not disappointed.

FRIDAY: The weekend started off with TESTING on Friday morning. Congratulations to NIDAN
- CAROL VAUGHN from Mr. Melander's Red Dragon Karate in Ballston
Spa, NY; YODANS - CHANDRA MILLER from Mr.
Eierdam's Texas Martial Arts club in Houston, TX and JOVAN GERMANO
from Mr. Dave Guccione's Canton, NY ZDK club; GODANS
- JEFF MELANDER, Red Dragon Karate, Ballston Spa, NY, ANDRE SECORE,
Malone, NY ZDK under Mr. Brown, and DAVE & LISA GUCCIONE, Canton,
NY ZDK. How many times will you have the chance to see a 66 year old
take a "real" godan test? Mr. Guccionetook the same advanced
black belt test expected of anyone else and stunned the crowd with his energy,
technique, spirit, and fortitude. He set a new standard for senior
advanced testing and won the respect of every instructor and student in the
room!! Many thanks to everyone who came to judge, assist, or observe.

ROKUDAN PROMOTIONS: Special
Congratulations to Ms. Jackson & Mr. Ryan on being promoted to 6th Dan in
the ZDK. Both are students of Mr. Gifford and continue to be loyal to him
and to the association.

Thanks especially to those who traveled long distances
to be a part of a great day: Mr. Gifford, most senior ZDK
instructor from TX, Mr. Kirch, Indiana, and Ms. Jackson
from Florida, and Mr. Ryan from TX. Other senior ranks
included: Mr. Alianiello, Mr. Brown, Mr. Cox, Mr. & Mrs. Langdon, Mr.
Perry, Mr. Pinney, Mr. Streeter, & Mr. Tomlinson (we apologize if we forgot
any board member).

SAT: As always SSS included a
fantastic staff of 20 instructors. This year there were THREE
SPECIAL GUEST INSTRUCTORS: SENSEI NISHIME an exponent of
traditional Japanese Karate, KURT PELLEGRINO a renowned Mixed Martial
Arts fighter who is gaining a lot of recognition, and SENSEI CAMPOS the
founder of Super Summers and ZDK director. Sensei Campos was
honored to be asked to be a featured instructor and took the opportunity to
teach a ZDK curriculum class for ZDK System members in addition to the White to
Green & Brown thru Black Belt classes he taught. He also did
demonstration
at the Sat. evening presentations and would like to thank his assistants Mr.
Cox, Mr. Suggs, and especially Dana Arcuri who made a great
"opportunistic distraction." It was then time for the DJ and dancing until
1 a.m. All we can say is, "what happens at Super Summers, stays at
Super Summers."

SUN: The last day of training is always
a little sad. People are tired but always talk about what a great time
they had and how they have been reinvigorated by the inspiration and
perspiration. We hope to see you in 2009!!!

***As an aside, it was great
to have Mr. Gifford
and his daughter, Brianna,
come early and stay until today. He has been a ZDK member since 1969 and
being in TX makes it hard for us to get together. He had a chance to visit
old friends and see the new Johnstown NY
HQ dojo now run by Bob & Bonnie Streeter.

ADDED 7/14/08:
Sensei Campos & Tom Greco attended the wedding of Ed
Taglialatela in Syracuse on Sat. Both Tom and Ed received their Black
Belt ranks back in the late 1970's at the Johnstown ZDK. Ed is a detective
with the Syracuse PD and Tom wishes he was retired. It was great having
the opportunity to see Tom & his wife Bonnie and Ed and his new wife Suzanne and
catch up on some of the stories from the old days - most of which we cannot
repeat for fear of scaring some of you. Congratulations to Ed & Suzanne as
they start on their adventure!

PICTURE (L-R): Sensei, Ed, & Tom.

ADDED 7/8/08:
PAK TEST On 6/23 Sensei Campos had the opportunity to
attend testing at Mr. Pinney's club in Sherburne, NY. It is always
a pleasure to have the opportunity to visit a club and see the progress that
people make in their training. While everyone did a great job, it was
especially pleasing to see Ethan Waterman do his annual test as a Junior
Black Belt. This was an idea that Ethan proposed after receiving his belt.
He has lived up to his commitment to train and make progress AND subject himself
to an annual test. His goal is to successfully pass his adult Black Belt
test next year.

SUPER SUMMER NEWS: Tom & Dana Arcuri
have done a wonderful job organizing the 26th Annual SSS Camp. They
have a wonderful line-up of Special Guest Instructors and other staff members
but, more importantly, they have a fantastic turnout for their first attempt at
running the camp - almost 260 participants and staff have registered!!! We
are looking forward to seeing everyone at Colgate University on 7/18-7/20.
It should be a great celebration and a new beginning.

JOHNSTOWN NEWS: Bob & Bonnie
Streeter continue to do a great job at HQ. It is hard to believe but
it has been just over 4 years since they took over the dojo from Mr. Campos.
He continues to visit and attend testing and instruct when needed. The
Johnstown, NY ZDK has been active since 1969 and continues to offer quality
instruction at the their new location on N. Perry St. Continued success!!

ADDED 6/23/08:
NEWS FROM NEW ZEALAND - Our NZ representative, Johnny
Kennedy, just sent us a message saying he was married in March and is
expecting a child. Or as John put it, "a
we girl, Baylee Anne Kennedy." We would like to
congratulate Johnny & Samantha on all the news. John says
his martial arts business is doing wonderful. It was great having them
both here last summer for our 25th Super Summers and we hope to
see them again soon.

ADDED 6/17/08:
ZDK COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT: We are proud to announce the
final total for 2008 of our fund-raising effort for the Wounded
Warrior Project was $12,977. The following clubs & instructors
participated and their effort is very much appreciated.

Special congratulations to the two top fund-raising
clubs: $5,200 for Progressive Martial
Arts in Altoona, PA and $2,479 for American Zen-Do Kai in Johnstown, NY

We also had a donation from John Annable
(noted above) who is not a ZDK member but who wanted to be a part of our effort.
Finally, Sensei Campos collected $395 from
veterans at his MP reunion held last Oct.
in Atlantic City. Better the WWP than the slot machines!!!

Thanks also to the students, parents, businesses and organizations who helped in
our 2008 effort.

ADDED 6/9/08:
TX WEDDING: Congratulations to Chandra Miller on her
wedding to Martin Gehret in Houston, TX on 5/24. We heard it was a great party!!!

N-NY PRE-TEST: Sensei Campos
had the opportunity to travel to Malone, NY 5/30 to 5/31 to work with
Dave & Lisa Guccione, Andre Secore, & Jovan Germano
as they prepare for testing at Super Summers. This will be an historical
event for the north country ZDK since the ranks involved are so high (three for
Godan & one Yodan). It was great to see that everyone has demonstrated the
necessary commitment to this endeavor. Many thanks to Ron Brown &
Tim & Cheri Langdon for their hospitality and
coordinating everything. Thanks also to all the Uke's who attended the 3
hour session. Mr. Campos truly enjoyed the golfing with Tim & Ron too!!!

SUPER SUMMERS: Mr. Campos
traveled to Colgate University on 6/3 to meet with Tom & Dana Arcuri, Bob
Pinney, and the college staff in preparation for
the 26th annual camp on 7/18-7/20.
Tom & Dana are working hard to organize another great camp. They have a
great website (www.super-summer-seminars.com)
where participants can see camp information and can even register and pay for
the weekend. Bob Pinney will be
assisting as in past years and, at the request of the Arcuri's, Mr.
Campos is one of the Special Guest
Instructor's. After lunch Mr. Campos
& Mr. Pinney played a round of golf. SSS TESTING: As in past years, we
will have testing on Fri. morning - details will be emailed to all instructors.

NEW MEMBER: We would like to welcome
Mr. George Curbelo into the ZDK family.
George is the Chief Instructor of Mountain Martial Arts
in Stamford, NY. He has been an
instructor for 37 years and has a lot of experience in several systems. We
look forward to working with him in the years ahead.

ADDED 5/22/08:
HANDGUN SEMINAR: Mr. Campos would like to thank John
Annable (Karate John's, Cicero, NY) for hosting the three hour
Handgun Defense seminar on Sat. 5/17/08. Participants included
Syracuse PD, Border Patrol, NYS Police, NYS Parole, Educators, and martial
artists from several clubs. The feedback from the participants (email and
evaluation forms) has been really positive and we are pleased that the program
was well received. Special thanks to Sam & Ellen Anagnostopoulos
for helping to organize the event & for providing a great lunch for everyone.
Also, Dave Castaldo who acted as the videographer and was also
instrumental in getting the event organized. Finally, it was really great
to have Tony & Shawn Irvin in attendance. They have been ZDK
members for approx. three decades and have recently gotten back into training
after a hiatus. Tony, a member of the NYS Police, assisted Mr. Campos with
the seminar and you would never know he had been away from training. Thank
you to all who took the time to attend!

SSS TEST CANDIDATES: We also had an
opportunity prior to the seminar to work intensively for two hours with Mr. &
Mrs. Guccione and Jovan Germano from the Canton, NY ZDK on their test
material. Sensei Campos is looking forward to the 4 hour pre-test
intensive scheduled in Malone, NY on 5/31.

Sensei Campos would like to thank Mrs. Streeter for her assistance
at the 9th Annual Sister to Sister Conference held at Fulton-Montgomery
Community College on Wed. 5/14. We have been involved in this program
since its inception and have been amazed by the growth of the program. S2S
brought together almost 250 middle school girls from a three county area for
learning and fun. We had a great day and the evaluations of our program,
as always, were very positive.

Our three week program at the Gloversville Middle School
provided another opportunity for us to work on personal safety with area youth.
We appreciated the assistance of Mr. & Mrs. Streeter, Richard Schuyler, and
Rachael Bailey during the program.

ADDED 4/28/08:
It is always nice to hear from students that our impact has been a positive one.
This latest message was another in that vein:

Hello Sensei Campos!

It has been a very long time since I have seen you; a little over 10
years! I was a student of yours for about 3 years from around 1992-1995
along with my brother Ed Sprenger. I have often thought about you and the
Zen Do Kai School (very fondly); the discipline and training helped me in
all areas of my life. I know that is something that will benefit my kids
when they start going. I've told my kids about you and was so excited to
finally show him pictures of you on your website. He thinks you're pretty
cool. Both my brother and I have been doing very well, both with families of
our own. He lives in Schenectady and works with computers. Don't ask me what
he does precisely, I apparently was born without the computer literacy part
of the brain. He and his wife Kathy have 2 boys: Nathan 5 and Andrew 1. I
live in Washington near Seattle. My husband is in the Navy and we were
stationed here last summer. He is now deployed in the Persian Gulf until the
Fall. Our kids are Ethan 6, Emma 4 next week, and Tommy 9 months.

Neither my brother nor I continued with Karate after we moved from
Gloversville, but have always been positively affected by the training we
had. After my dad started training in Kendo, Ed started as well. I want to
start training again and have my kids join me, but that may have to wait
until James (my husband) returns from the Gulf. We will be going back to New
York (Saranac Lake) for the summer and if possible I will try and make my
way back to Johnstown for a visit. How are things with you and the school? I
hope you and your family are well and very happy in all things. Please write
back when you have the time. I hope you remember me, but I'm sure after
knowing so many students over so many years it may be difficult to remember
every single one! Take care!

Sincerely,

Karen (Sprenger) Reilly

ADDED 4/28/08:
Sensei Campos had a wonderful trip this past weekend to the
Malone, NY ZDK for Friday testing, Saturday seminars, and the N-NY ZDK Banquet on Sat.
evening. Congratulations to newly advanced students Austin Bush (Jr.
Shodan), Sam Anagnostopoulis (Shodan), and Ernesto Perez (Nidan).
Congratulations also to their respective instructors for getting them prepared
for the test - Mr. Pepe & Mr. Perry (Massena, NY), Mr.
Guccione (Canton, NY), and Mr. Secore (Malone, NY).
On Sat. morning Mr. Campos presented three training sessions starting with a
children's seminar, followed by an adult seminar, and ending with a black belt
only ZDK curriculum class. Every session was very well attended and all
had fun learning new material. We ended the weekends festivities with the
N-NY Banquet at the beautiful Malone Country Club. It was great to see all
of the N-NY instructors, black belts, and students. Congratulations to all
who received an award. Many thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Langdon
(Cheri is Mr. Brown's daughter) for once again organizing the weekend. We
also look forward to seeing Mr. Brown recover fully from his knee replacement,
assuming he follows his doctors orders (any bets?). Sensei can't wait to
get back on the golf course!!!! Many thanks to everyone for the support
and effort on Mr. Campos' behalf.

ADDED 4/24/08:
Our annual trip south was great except for the rain and cold. We heard
that it was warmer here in upstate NY!!! Our first stop was
Washington DC where we were treated to a
fantastic tour of the Capital building, including a visit to the U.S. Senate
chamber, by our own tour guide Robert Cutter
and his son, Remington. Mr. Cutter,
a senior student of Vince Anthony (SSS
2007 instructor), is a member of the Capital Police so our tour was expedited.
It was also nice to touch bases with Dan Kurtz,
a Capital Police officer whose son trains with Mr. Anthony.
We want to thank Mr. Cutter for his
hospitality since he took a day off to take us touring.

We had a wonderful visit with Ms. Susan
Jackson in Orlando, FL. As always, we
appreciated the opportunity to present a seminar at her Traditional
Martial Arts club and enjoyed the time to
socialize over lunch afterwards.

Now it is time to get into our spring schedule -
first stop N-NY this weekend for testing, seminars, and banquet. It will
be good to see everyone up in the north country!

ADDED 3/30/08: VickiGillen's Copper City Championships in Rome, NY went off without
a hitch yesterday. It was a well-run, friendly, and competitive event.
The usual cast of senior ZDK instructors was on hand to keep things moving along
- Mr. & Mrs. Arcuri, Mr. & Mrs. Brooks, Dave Bruce, Mr. Melander, Troy
Rodman, Mr. & Mrs. Streeter, Mr. Campos and many
others too numerous to mention. The new generation of competitors put on
quite a demonstration of spirit, energy, and enthusiasm. Congratulations
to Mr. Melander on taking the Grand Championship in Kata (again!!!) with a
phenomenal demonstration of power & technique!!

ADDED 3/27/08: Wounded Warrior Project fundraising event on
3/26 & 3/27. Both events had a large number of participants and
spectators. One of the spectators on Thursday evening was an active duty
reserve recruiter (in uniform) who had two kids participating. He had
heard of the WWP program and was happy to be a part of the event. While
all the pledges are not in yet, we understand that the amount raised was
considerable. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Streeter on organizing
the event on behalf of the WWP.

We have been hearing from several instructors who are
participating in this year's event and are hopeful that we can surpass our
effort last year. We will post the final results as soon as everyone
indicates that they have completed their event. Mr. Campos hopes to stop
by the WWP offices in Jacksonville, FL on his upcoming trip.

ADDED
3/16/08: Congratulations to Rick Rinaldo, Gennady Julien, and
Dallas (apologize - brain fade on last name) from Mr. Bob Pinney's
Sherburne, NY dojo on moving ahead in the Brown Belt ranks. Mr. Campos
was at testing on Fri. 3/14 and was VERY impressed with the performances of
these three students. They truly exemplified the technical proficiency and
energy that a brown belt should demonstrate, and they left no doubt that they
earned the right to wear the rank. Congratulations to the other students
who tested too!

On Sat. 3/15, Mr. Pinney ran his 12th annual
tournament at Colgate University. There were enough Black Belts on
hand to keep things moving along and everyone seemed to have a good time.
It was nice to be able to head for home at 2 p.m. This was another
friendly, smooth running, low stress competition that are hallmarks of events
run by our members.

***KIRCH ALERT: Mr. Kirch just sent us
a video of him getting TASERED. No, this was not a party where he got out
of control and had to be subdued by government agents. He was taking part
in training/testing the effectiveness of the taser with several other U.S.
Marshal's. He apparently VOLUNTEERED to be zapped. We can say that,
while it was clearly a painful experience, he managed to stand through the whole
process - though he did use some expressive language when it was over. The
question is what does he do in his spare time for excitement?

ADDED
3/10/08: Congratulations to Mr. Bob Pinney (Pinney's
American Karate, Sherburne & Hamilton, NY) on achieving Godan at testing
on 3/8/08. Mr. Pinney demonstrated the spirit and perseverance necessary
to be successful - no easy task at 52!! Every test is a cooperative effort
and this was no different. Special thanks go to Mr. Cox & Mr. Tomlinson
who took time out of their personal schedules on several occasions to assist in
his training over the last couple of months. Thanks to the test board -
Mr. Cox, Mr. Streeter, & Mr. Tomlinson - & to the Uke squad for volunteering
their bodies for the effort.

It was also great to see Mr. & Mrs. Guccione, Mr. Kenna,
& Mr. Germano come down from Canton, NY to get some training in preparation
for testing at Super Summer Seminars 2008 camp. Rumor has it that a large
number of candidates plan to test this summer but we are especially looking
forward to seeing Mr. Guccione test for Godan rank at 66 years of age!!!

ADDED
3/6/08: The SMAF event at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga on 2/22-2/24
was a great way to break up the mid-winter blues. Sensei Campos
drove over on Sat. & Sun. and had a great time visiting with everyone.
Mr. Pearlman has put together a great weekend of training similar to Super
Summers. The Holiday Inn was the new venue and the staff, including
several old hands at SSS, was fantastic. Mr. Pearlman was gracious
enough to congratulate Mr. Campos on his 64th birthday after he talked him into
doing a demonstration at the last minute. Many thanks to Sensei Kevin
Suggs, Joe Ansah, & Roland Lavigne for stepping up to the plate to be the
Uke's on five minutes notice. The favor was returned when Mr. Suggs did a
demo a few minutes later. Mr. Campos & Jeff Melander trained in the
floor fighting class that Tom & Dana Arcuri presented as a last minute
addition to the program. We saw Joe Mansfield, Mark Cardona, Vince Anthony, Chris
LaCava, Paul Fracchia, John Borter, Charlie Moore and many other
participants and instructors at the event. Congratulations to Steve
Pearlman on his 8th SMAF.

ADDED
2/20/08: From the desk of Sensei Campos: I had
the opportunity to attend testing at the Johnstown ZDK last night and I was
treated to an amazing display of commitment and resilience. A young man of
14 tested for green belt. Nothing unusual there except that this young man
has no arms. Mr. & Mrs. Streeter and the staff at the Johnstown
studio modified the test to accommodate this disability. The rest was was
up to the candidate and he did a phenomenal job with a phenomenal attitude.
Certainly this test is an example of why we teach. It is also an example
for anyone who has an excuse for not stepping up to the plate. My personal
congratulations go out to Gorsha as he continues on his journey to Black Belt!

ADDED
2/12/08: ZDK TOP SCHOOLS FOR 2007:
Congratulations to the following Instructors/Clubs on achieving a Top School
award:

We appreciate the support of every club that is a member of
the ZDK family. We hope to be able to award every member club a Top
Schools award in 2008!

ADDED
2/6/08: Congratulations to Larry & Laura Brooks
on another fine tournament on 2/3. All of the usual instructors were in
attendance and the day went very smoothly and ended in time for everyone to get
home to see the Super Bowl. We noted that David Foster
(Mr. Melander's Club) & Blaze Cox (Mr. Cox's Club), both new
black belts did very well for their first time out in those divisions. A
highlight of the day was the announcement by Mr. Campos of the
promotion of Mr. Brooks to 6th Dan. Larry has been a ZDK
member for almost 20 years and has been an active competitor, promoter, and
instructor. He has been ranked as a Godan for 17 years!!! He really
has to thank Laura for advocating on his behalf for this promotion. We
look forward to many more years of affiliation as part of the ZDK family.

ADDED 1/11/08:
The 20th Annual Choices Program was held at Fulton-Montgomery
Community College on Jan. 9 and Sensei Campos, Arlene Card, & Richard
Schuyler were there to instruct area H.S. students in the fundamentals
of self-defense. This has been a very popular presentation among the
students every year because they have fun and learn something useful.
Channel 9 News (Albany) took some video during the program and aired it that
evening. During the keynote presentation, Sensei Campos was recognized for
being a volunteer presenter for all 20 years. A couple of adults in
attendance requested a similar program in their school district and we are in
the process of discussing their needs. Being retired is not for the
lazy!!! LINK TO NEWS-9 STORY & VIDEO -
You may need to copy & paste this link:
http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?SecID=33&ArID=229169

ADDED 1/4/08: SPECIAL VISIT: Sensei Campos
had a surprise visitor show up unexpectedly at his house right after Christmas.
Marc Hickok and his dad, Dan, stopped by to catch up on the latest news.
Marc tested for his black belt with Cara Nielsen at Super Summers while
still in H.S. In college he played football (kicker) for UCONN and has
been down in sunny Florida since graduation. His goal has been to get
picked up by a major league team as a kicker and he was briefly by the Giants
last year. Currently he is a personal trainer and still working hard to
achieve his primary goal. To say that Marc has grown is an understatement
- he is a big guy and is in phenomenal condition. If you didn't have the
opportunity to see Marc test or compete (he spent several years as an A.A.U.
competitor and has a roomful of trophies to show for it), you missed something
special. It was great to see Marc and Dan and I hope to get together with
him again soon.

NEW ZDK CLUB: We would like to
congratulate Heath Waterman on the opening of his club in Oneida, NY.
Heath is a student of Mr. Bob Pinney's and has taken the leap into
full-time instruction with the purchase of a building and all the equipment of
Owen's Martial Arts (Johnny Owens is an long-time instructor who has retired &
moved). We are proud to have Heath as a ZDK member and wish him great
success in this new venture!